Protection of the Virgin Mary Orthodox Church A Parish of the 8600 Grand Blvd. Diocese of Chicago Merrillville, IN 46410 and the Midwest (219)947-4748 Orthodox Church Hall: (219)730-4698 in America www.ptvm.com Rev. Dr. Jacob Van Sickle (219)384-6826 • [email protected] Great Vespers: 6pm Saturdays Welcome visitors! Please join us in Divine Liturgy: 10am Sundays the parish hall after Confessions are heard before or Divine Liturgy for after Vespers or by appointment. coffee hour. June 30, 2019 All Saints of America On the second Sunday after Pentecost, each local Orthodox Church commemorates all the saints, known and unknown, who have shone forth in its territory. Accordingly, the Orthodox Church in America remembers the saints of North America on this day. Saints of all times, and in every country are seen as the fulfillment of God’s promise to redeem fallen humanity. Their example encourages us to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily besets us” and to “run with patience the race that is set before us” (Heb 12:1). The saints of North America also teach us how we should live, and what we must expect to endure as Christians On September 24, 1794, a group of monks from Valaam arrived on Kodiak Island in Alaska. St Herman of Alaska, the last surviving member of the mission, fell asleep in the Lord in 1837. The Protomartyr Juvenal was killed near Lake Iliamna by natives in 1799, becoming the first Orthodox Christian to shed his blood for Christ in the New World. In 1816, St Peter the Aleut was put to death by Spanish missionaries in California when he refused to convert to Roman Catholicism. Two of the most prominent laborers in Christ’s Vineyard were St Innocent and St Jacob Netsvetov, who translated Orthodox services and books into the native languages. Fr Jacob Netsvetev died in Sitka in 1864 after a life of devoted service to the Church. Fr John Veniaminov, after his wife’s death, received monastic tonsure with the name Innocent. He died in 1879 as the Metropolitan of Moscow. On March 25, 1891, St Alexis Toth and 361 of his parishioners were received into the Orthodox Church. St Tikhon, the future Patriarch of Moscow, came to America as bishop of the diocese of the Aleutians and Alaska in September 1898. St Raphael of Brooklyn was the first Orthodox bishop to be consecrated in North America. Sts John Kochurov and Alexander Hotovitzky both served as priests in North America before suffering martyrdom at the hands of the Communists. In addition to the saints listed above, we also honor those Saints who are known only to God, and have not been recognized officially by the Church. As we contemplate the lives of these saints, let us remember that we are also called by God to a life of holiness. HYMNS OF THE DAY Tone 1 – Resurrectional Troparion When the stone had been sealed by the Jews, while the soldiers were guarding Your most pure body, You rose on the third day, O Savior, granting life to the world. The powers of heaven therefore cried to You, O Giver of Life: “Glory to Your Resurrection, O Christ! Glory to Your Kingdom!// Glory to Your dispensation, O You who love mankind!” Tone 4 – Patronal Troparion Today the faithful celebrate the feast with joy, illumined by your coming, O Mother of God. Beholding your pure image we fervently cry to you: Encompass us beneath the precious veil of your protection. Deliver us from every form of evil by entreating Christ, your Son and our God// that He may save our souls. Tone 8 – Troparion for All Saints of America As the bountiful harvest of Your sowing of salvation, the lands of North America offer to You, O Lord, all the saints who have shone in them. By their prayers keep the Church and our land in abiding peace through the Theotokos, O most Merciful One! Tone 1 – Resurrectional Kontakion As God, You rose from the tomb in glory, raising the world with Yourself. Human nature praises You as God, for death has vanished. Adam exults, O Master! Eve rejoices, for she is freed from bondage and cries to You:// “You are the Giver of Resurrection to all, O Christ!” Tone 3 – Kontakion of All Saints of America Today the choir of Saints who were pleasing to God in the lands of North America now stands before us in the Church and invisibly prays to God for us. With them the Angels glorify Him, and all the Saints of the Church of Christ keep festival with them; and together they all pray for us to the Pre-eternal God. Tone 3 – Patronal Kontakion Today the Virgin stands in the midst of the Church, And with choirs of saints she invisibly prays to God for us. Angels and bishops worship. Apostles and prophets rejoice together,// Since for our sake she prays to the eternal God. SCRIPTURE READINGS Epistle: Romans 2.10-16 Brethren: Glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God. For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel. Hebrews 11.33 – 12.2 Brethren: Through faith, the Saints subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not receiving deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others were tried by mocking and scourging, yes, and by chains and imprisonment. They were stoned; they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, afflicted, tormented – of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, because God had provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Gospel: Matthew 4.18-23, 25-5.12 At that time, Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Great multitudes followed Him – from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” WE REMEMBER IN PRAYER N.Dep. Mat. Charlotte Conjelko Serge Zochalski (’54) Michael Pachapa Dimitry Vasileff (’57) Ev.Mem. Vuya Bakich (’16) Teresa Kulick (’59) Michael Kadashov (’14) Samuel Radivan (’75) John Skaluk (’45) Anatol Meuch Peter Kuwaski (’52) Tassia Kovech Health & Salvation: Carol Melissa Protopr. George Tom Jonathan Mat. Anna Elizabeth Matthew Archpr.